Fuel control valve



Jan. 14, 1941.

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,A TTORNEV Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT; oFFlcE azzasss .FUEL CONTROL 'VALVE William A. Ray, Glendale, Calif. Application october 21, 193s, serial No. 236,251

2 Claims.

-My present invention relates to fuel control valves for heating devices and has for its chief object the provision of a novel control system for-a iiuid fuel pressure motor operated valve,

5 and. which includes means for supplying fuel to a pilot burner.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be found in the description, the drawing and the appended claims. A

For a complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing in Awhich the single iigure'is a sectionalview of a valve embodying my invention.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the

' numeral II denotes a valve body or casing having an inlet I2 and an outlet I3 separated by a' ported partition I4 having a valve seat I5. Covering an opening in an upper wall of the casing II is a diaphragm member I6 secured between the flange of a housing I1 and said casing, as by screws I8. Secured to the diaphragm member I6 by a screw I8 is a valve member 20 cooperable with seat I5, a stiiening member 2I and a weight biasing andstiifening member 22. A screw 23 aords means formanually opening the valve, if desired.

Secured to the upper inner wall of the housing I1 by hollow screws 24 and 25 extending through '30 hollow sleeve members 28 and 21 is a member 28 supporting a hollow jet or port member 23 and a stop member 30 which may be locked in positionafter adjustment by a packing nut 3| and a nut 32, respectively.

Secured to the member 28 by meansgoi a plate 33 is an electromagnetic device generally indicated by the numeral 34 and comprising a U- shaped core 35 supporting a coil member 36, a flat armature member of magnetic material 31 l0 fulcrumed on the edge 38 of the core 35, an armature retaining member 39 and a compression spring biasing the upper end portion of the armature to contact with the stop member 30. Binding posts 4-I, insulatingly mounted in the upper wall of housing I1, provide means for externally connecting to the coil 36.

lUpon energization of the electromagnetic device, the lower end portion of the armature member 31 is attracted toward the pole 4,2 of

"0 the core, the upper end portion of the armature coming into contact with the port member-,23 to close the port thereof,.thus forming a vone-way pilot valve.

The end portion of the jet or port member 29, with which the ilat armature member 31 co- Apipe sa.

-in diameter so that the contact pressure may be great enough to form a gas-tight junction with minimum expenditure of electrical power. For maximum sensitivity, the members 23 and 30 5 may be adjusted so as to limit the armature movement to as little as 0.005 inch.

The jet 23 limits the movement of the armature Ain its attracted lposition so thatvcontact off the pole 42 with the armature is prevented, thus 10 eliminating the possibility of magnetic sticking." For maximum sensitivity, this clearance may be as small as 0.002 inch.

The port member 28 is threadedly secured in a hollow member 43 which, in turn, is threaded 15 into the member 28. Communicating with the central passageway 44 of the member 43 is an orice 45 and lateral openings '48.

Generally indicated by the numeral 41 is a pilot burner comprising ,a body 48 having an 20 orifice 49 and a burner tube 50 provided with air -mixing openings 5I. A manual valve 52, comprising a needle valve screw 53 cooperable with a valve. seat -formed by the upper end of passageway 54, provides means for turning the 25 pilot burner on .and olf. When said valve 5 2 is open, it will be seen that gas can flow from the interior of the housing I1 to the pilot burner through passageways 55, 54, 55 and 51 and Communication between the inlet I2 of the main valve and the port member 23 is provided by passageway 59, pipe and passageways 4I, 62, 48 and 44. v

The operation of the valve is vas follows:

Assuming that the inlet ofthe main valve is connected to a source of fluid fuel such as ordinary gas and that the pilot valve is in the position shown, the electromagnetic'device being un`.

energized, gas will now through the open port 40 of the member 23 and the orice 45 to the in terior-of the housing I1 from whence it may pass to the pilot burner'oriiice 43. The port of member 29 is conveniently formed by a No. 66 drill and the orifices 45 and. by a No. 76 drill. The 45 ratio of the areas ofthe openings formedby such drills is about 231:1, so gas is admitted to the interior of the housing faster than it can escape at the pilot burner, with the result that fluid pressure is built up above the diaphragm 50 member substantially equal to that below it and the main valve remains closed on acount of the weight bias of the diaphragm member.

Should the electromagnetic device now be energized by completion of a circuit throush coil 38 55 stanti'ally device, the port of member 29 will be again opened with the result that pressure above and below the diaphragm member will become subl equal, permitting the main valve to close.

Should the now of gas to the pilot burner be stopped by manual closing of the valve 52, the main valve will be closed and maintained in that position regardless of the condition of the pilot valve.

Apparent advantages of the novel control system of my invention include the following:

Only a one-way pilot valve is required, the single port of which may be made relatively large, and hence unlikely to become obstructed,

under the conditions of the fluid circuits employed. Requirement of a vent line for the valve is eliminated'.` -Turning loff the pilot burner effects closing of the main valve. 'I'he general structure of the valve herein disclosed is claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 222,673, filed August 2, 1938. In case that a thermoelectric generator, such' as that disclosed in the copending application of `William R. Ray, Serial No. 225,075, led August l5, 1938, is employed in lieu of the pilot burner shown as a source of power for the electromagnetic device, more fuel is supplied to the generator when the pilot valve is unenergized on account of the higher pressure then existing Within the housing thanwhen it is energized, the thrmoelectric power thus being increased in readiness for use and decreased when .less is required.

Other means than thatyof the orice 45 may be employed for supplying the pilot burner in the closed position of the pilot valve without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example, the pilot valve might be so arranged that there would be sufficient leakage therefrom in its closed position to supply the pilot burner.

operated main valve comprising a valve body,

a movable partition dividing said body into arst and a second pressure chamber, said first chamber being constantly subjected to the inlet pressure of the fuel controlled by the valve, a pilot burner connected only to said second chamber and having a restricted orifice, means dening a restricted passageway interconnecting said chambers and adapted to constantly pass fuel from saidvrst chamber into said second chamber in an amount only sufficient to supply said pilot burner, and a pilot valve for said main ,valve connected to said ilrst chamber and mounted in said second chamber so as to control fuel flow directly thereinto in an amount only sumcient to vary the iiuid pressure vtherein to operate said movable partition.

2. In a burner control system, a fluid pressure operated main valve comprisingv a valve body, a movable partition dividing said body into a first and a second pressure chamber, said first cham;- ber being constantly subjected to the inlet pressure of the fuel controlled by the valve, a pilot burner# connected only to said second chamber and having a restricted orifice, means defining a'passageway interconnecting said chambers, said passageway having an outlet so restricted as to amount only sufficient to vary the fluid pressure therein to operate said movable partition.

WILLIAM A. RAY. 

